Bison Football Honored with 16 All-Conference Selections

Nov. 16 – GREENVILLE, Pa. – Led by first-team selections, seniors Eric Blinn (Beaver, Pa./Western Beaver) and Nadim Raddar (Laurel, Md./Old Mill), as well as junior Aaron Frye (Vandergrift, Pa./Kiski), the Bethany College football team was awarded with 16 All-Presidents' Athletic Conference honors, announced the PAC on Tuesday afternoon.

Arguably the best wide receiver in Bethany history, Blinn culminated his four-year career by earning two First-Team All-PAC selections. The senior earned his third-straight first-team selection at wide receiver, while also being named a first-team return specialist.

The senior led the PAC in receptions with 93 total catches, 28 more than any other player in the conference. He totaled 1,136 yards receiving, ranking third in the league in receiving yards per game (113.6). He also lead the conference in touchdown catches (14), something he had not done in his previous three seasons.

Over the course of the regular season, Blinn posted eight games with at least 100-yards receiving and a touchdown. He scored a trio of touchdowns on three separate occasions, posting at least one score in each of his last seven games.

Along with his receiving numbers, Blinn was also solid in the return game, returning 20 kicks (eight kickoffs, 12 punts) for a total of 384 yards and a touchdown (average of 19.2 yards per return). With his return numbers, the senior finished with 1,570 all-purpose yards, the second most of his career.

Blinn left his mark on the Bethany record books, finishing his four-year career with 5,518 all-purpose yards, the most of any Bison in school history. He also holds every major receiving record, including career touchdown receptions (37) and receiving yards (4,261).

Raddar earned his second-consecutive First-Team All-Conference selection after being named the PAC's Defensive Player of the Year in 2014. The senior defensive end totaled 62 tackles, including 18.5 for loss and 12.0 sacks. His sack total was just .5 short of his total from last season in which he was named an AFCA All-American.

Raddar closed out the season strong for the Green & White, notching eight total sacks over the team's final four games (Bison went 3-1 in that stretch). He also completed the season with seven games of at least 1.5 tackles for loss, including a career-high five in a win over Geneva on October 24.

Frye served as a jack-of-all-trades for Bethany this season, splitting time as the punter and the starting free safety. In his first season as the anchor of the special teams, Frye was given the nod as a First-Team All-PAC selection.

The junior showed off his ability to consistently get the best out of his kicking game, averaging a conference-best 41.3 yards per punt. Frye punted the ball 56 times for 2,313 yards, totaling seven punts of 50 yards or more. He also placed five kicks inside the opponents' 20-yard line.

On the defensive side of the ball, Frye earned Honorable Mention All-PAC recognition, totaling 57 tackles, 3.0 tackles for loss, and two pass breakups. Twice on the year Frye notched double-digit tackles, including a season high 11 (1.5 for loss) at Washington & Jefferson).

Along with the four, first-team honors, the Bison also saw three players earn Second-Team All-PAC distinction.

Junior running back Jalen Holmes (New Castle, Pa./New Castle) earned his first all-conference selection after putting in a record-breaking year in 2015. The back totaled a Bethany record 1,353 rushing yards while also totaling 15 touchdowns. Thanks to those numbers he was named a second-team honoree.

Holmes went over the century mark a total of six times on the season, never running for less than 74 yards from week two, on. He scored a touchdown in nine-straight games to finish out the season, including four multi-score games. His top game came in a win over Grove City, where he tallied a conference single-game record 341 yards while scoring four touchdowns.

Junior linebacker Donavan Hayden (Hyattsville, Md./Northwestern) was given the nod as a second-team selection for the second-straight year after ranking second in the PAC in total tackles (109). Hayden has now posted 100+ tackles in back-to-back seasons, becoming just the second player in history to accomplish the feat.

The two-time leading tackler on the Bethany roster also tallied 13.0 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and four pass breakups. He ranked first on the team in forced fumbles, posting four on the year including two against Westminster College.

Senior offensive lineman Beau Bertus (Parkersburg, W. Va./Parkersburg South) was the third player for the Green & White to earn a Second-Team All-PAC selection. It marked the second-straight season in which Bertus had earned a post-season honor. Joining Bertus as honorees on the Bison "O-Line" included senior Ethan Barnes (Weirton, W. Va./Weir) and sophomore Jaymier Scarborough (Pittsburgh, Pa./Woodland Hills), who both earned honorable mention status.

The Bethany offensive line paved the way for the Bison offense to rank fifth in both points per game (33.3) and yards per contest (409.1). Behind their blocking, the Green & White posted 179 yards per game on the ground while averaging 4.5 yards per carry (fourth in the conference).

The front five, anchored by Bertus, Barnes and Scarborough, helped the team post six 100-yard rushing performances and helped Holmes reach his record-setting numbers in the running game.

Over the final five games of the regular season, the offensive line stepped up their game, leading Bethany to average 464.4 yards and 42.2 points per game as the Bison posted a 3-2 record over the final half of the 2015 campaign.

Along with the offensive lineman, six other players were named Honorable Mention All-PAC selections; including Dion Williams (Clinton, Md./Frederick Douglass), Dylan Stewart (Claridge, Pa./Penn-Trafford), Eric Campbell (Hurricane, W. Va./Hurricane), Devon McClain (Millersville, Md./Old Mill), Daniel Gibson (Pittsburgh, Pa./Woodland Hills) and Chris Ray (Henrico, Va./Mills E. Godwin).

Williams earned his third-straight honorable mention selection, finishing the year with 47 total tackles, including 26 solo stops. His nine pass breakups ranked first on the team. He also added a pair of takeaways, including an interception in a victory over Waynesburg on September 26.

Campbell was given the nod as an honorable mention selection for the second-consecutive season. He completed his senior campaign with 41 tackles, 5.0 tackles for loss and a sack. He also posted his first-career rushing touchdown in his final home game at Bison Stadium in a win over Grove City.

Stewart was selected for his first all-conference award. He served as the defensive captain during the 2015 season, totaling 52 tackles (1 for loss), an interception and four pass breakups. He tallied a season-high nine stops against Geneva on Oct. 24.

McClain also earned his first all-conference selection, garnering All-PAC Honorable Mention status for the first time. He notched 57 tackles from his defensive end position, ranking second on the team in total sacks with 7.5. He tallied a least 1.0 sacks in four-straight games, while also accumulating 13.0 tackles for loss.

The lone freshman on the list, Gibson was selected for his first All-PAC honor after a solid breakout campaign. He notched 49 tackles from his interior line position, notching 10.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks. He also ranked second on the team in forced fumbles with three.

Ray rounds out the list of All-PAC award winners, as he was given an honorable mention nod for the second year in a row. Ray finished the 2015 season having converted on 43-of-46 extra points, while also hitting 4-of-5 field goals. With his four field goals, Ray has now totaled 10 for his career, ranking fifth all time on the Bethany career list.

The 16 all-conference selections for the Green & White were one more than the team earned last season, totaling 31 All-PAC honors over the last two years. Bethany finished the 2015 campaign 5-5, marking the first time since the 2010 and 2011 seasons that Bethany has tallied back-to-back years with at least a .500 record.